


In Light of my Path

by SilverLining0507



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alchemist Waverly Earp, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, Hunter Wynonna Earp, Memory Loss, Paladin Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp & Nicole Haught are Childhood Friends, Will add more tags along the way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 11:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18570094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverLining0507/pseuds/SilverLining0507
Summary: Due to reports of dangerous circumstances occurring in the small village of Purgatory, Paladin Nicole Haught has been assigned to help deal with the problem. What started out as a simple case, leads to a series of events that show a much sinister force behind everything that soon follows.





	1. A Rough Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Okay, so this is my first Wynonna Earp Fanfic. This is going to be a struggle because I haven’t written in years, but I can’t get this idea out of my head and it’s giving me both a high on energy and a headache. 
> 
> Got this idea from this Prompt, _“This story takes place in a peaceful fiefdom on our world in a magical age. In it, a paladin who can see invisible entities becomes infatuated with an inhibited alchemist. It seems an insight will bring them even closer together.”_ _**~ seventhsanctum.com**_
> 
> Honestly the only thing I saw was Paladin, Alchemist and Magical Age. I won’t be following the prompt, but it did get me inspired enough to have my own take on it. So, without further ado, let’s go!

Legs burning, sweat pouring, taking a breath feels like your lungs are on fire, but knowing that stopping to take a break could be his last, he trudges onward. The village could not have been too far, but his sight is hindered due to the darkness of the night and the strange ominous fog that covered the area.

Breathing ragged and stumbling with fatigue, he knows he’s reached his limit for now. He turns his head, searching for those things that were chasing him earlier, he relaxes slightly when he doesn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary. Reassured that they seemed to have stopped their pursuit for him, he decides to take a small break. 

Guided by moonlight, he reached his arms out and touches the shadow of what seems to be a tree in front of him. Feeling the rough bark under his fingertips, he sighs in relief as he leans against it, trying to catch a breath. 

It felt like hours since he first left the village of Purgatory, as a merchant he didn’t want to stay in one place for too long. He would arrive at a village by morning and leave at night, taking short breaks along the way. 

When he was about to leave, the innkeeper warned him over and over again that it was too dangerous to go through the forest trail at the hour, due to the fog that appears deep into the night every day and the monsters that are said to reside within it, killing those that come through at that late of an hour.

Scoffing at the ridiculousness of the story, he Ignored her warnings and left anyway. Thinking that it was merely a ploy to get him to stay the night at the shoddy Inn, besides he was confident that he could best any creature that dwelled within it, possibly nothing more than a mere animal. 

Oh, how foolish he was…

Even though the ordeal only happened moments ago it felt longer than that. Flashes of glowing red eyes peeking through the fog and the smell of rotting flesh emanated from them. He ran for his life, while his horse was being mauled by those things, its cries of agony still haunted him. 

He snaps out of his thoughts when the leaves from tree to tree started to rustle, which should have been impossible when there wasn’t even a breeze. It could be an animal, but he knew in his mind that it was no animal up there. 

His heart beat frantically, eyes shifting in a panic in every direction where there is movement. He covers his ears when the rustling became too overwhelming. It sounded like it came from everywhere, but he couldn’t pinpoint where exactly. 

Suddenly, he hears a branch snap behind him. 

Silence follows…

His body froze in fear as he holds his breath. The beating of his heart rings louder in his ears. His mind yelling at him to move, to run, and to never look back. 

It wasn’t until he hears something land heavily behind him that he finally snaps out of it. Immediately he dashes through the forest, everything became a blur to him. All he knew was that he needed to get out of here fast!

Moments later, he was beginning to lose hope of ever escaping. He didn’t know where he was in the forest and those monsters were probably chasing him. It felt like it was only a matter of time before Death claimed him. 

“It can’t end like this… I won’t let it end like this!” He whispers frantically to himself, pushing himself to run faster. 

Further along the trail, he stops, gasping for breath, when something in the distance catches his eye. Squinting for a better look, he could distinguish two orange glows parallel to each other. 

His eyes widen in surprise. “Those must be the torches by the gate!” He murmurs, a smile creeping on his face, relief coursing through his body. Perhaps he can survive through this nightmare and live through another day. 

He runs towards the light’s direction with newfound energy, but before he could go any farther, he felt something slash his ankle and he fell down with a yell. 

Gasping in pain, he could feel the wound stinging and blood starting to gush from it. Shakily he tries to stand, but another slash on his back stops him. Gritting his teeth and holding back tears he tries to push through the pain, but slash after slash attacked his body, rendering him bleeding and struggling on the ground. 

This is the end. Those things had their fun playing with him and now that he was close to escaping, they would never let him leave. 

He tilts his head up slightly, the faint lights all but a blur in the distance. He let out a whimper, hands clutching tightly on the ground, before screaming as he was dragged back deeper into the forest. 

* * *

Heavy footsteps and the clinking of metal reverberated around the castle courtyard as a figure in heavy silver armor patrols the area. Their royal blue waistcloth swaying with each step. A spear grasped tightly in their hand, ready to strike any threat that would bring anyone harm. Although the castle had been peaceful for the last couple of days, they still can’t let their guard down. 

They stop and frown when drops of sweat roll down their face. They look up, their eyes squinting under their helmet. The sun had been pretty brutal this past week, they can’t help but envy the others stationed at the castle. It’s so hot, that it feels like they were baking in their own armor. 

They let out a harsh sigh, before returning their attention back to the courtyard, their eyes skimming around the perimeter. 

Everything seems to be in order. No one is starting a fight, no one is attacking the castle walls, no one suspicious is walking around, and unlike last time none of the trees were on fire. So far, nothing of interest. 

Their lips pursed in annoyance when another drop of sweat rolled down their face, they grunt in frustration before finally deciding to remove their helmet. They place their hands on the helmet and lift it off. 

Long red hair fell down in waves as she lets out a sigh of relief when a gust of wind swept past her. 

“That’s better. Why did I even decide to wear my helmet today?” She asks herself, wiping away the droplets of sweat that ran down her face and neck. She looks at the other knights in their own duties, at least they had the thought to not wear their helmets today, but they still looked uncomfortable. It’s a good thing their shift ends in a few hours, otherwise, they’ll collapse from this heat. 

“Haught?! Hey Haught!” 

A masculine voice yells out, coming from the east wing of the castle. She turns and sees Lonnie a fellow Paladin running towards her direction, almost stumbling on his way to her.

He stops short in front of her, struggling to catch his breath. “I… I’ve been looking… everywhere for you… thought you were… somewhere… in the left tower…” He pants. Face red with sweat pouring down his face as he placed his hands on his knees. 

“Lonnie, don’t you remember the briefing earlier? Some of us were reassigned, mine and Kaelan’s duties were switched.” She says, cocking her head to the side. 

Lonnie stood up properly, hand running shakily through his sweat-matted hair. “Uh well, I was listening, but… my mind eventually became occupied elsewhere…” He trailed off, eyes looking anywhere but hers. 

Nicole blinks in disbelief, but then again, she shouldn’t be surprised as Lonnie had the tendency to not focus and daydream a lot. 

She shrugs her shoulders a little, before asking, “Alright then, so why were you looking for me?”

At that, Lonnie looks back at her, a serious expression on his face. “Ah well, Paladin Knight-Commander Nedley asked me to find you. Said he needed to speak to you about something important.”

She furrowed her brows in confusion. The commander only asked to speak to someone when they did something wrong or when there is an important matter that is needed to be discussed with them personally. 

“Did he mention why?” 

Lonnie shook his head. “No, he didn’t. He just asked me to inform you immediately,” He squints his eyes at her questioningly, tilting his head a bit. “Did you do something wrong? Do you think this has something to do with that stable incident two days ago?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know,” She says, before frowning at the reminder. “Hey, that wasn’t my fault. Morgan was the one who rattled those horses, and then set them free when I wasn’t looking.” 

She remembers how she had to help the troublesome squire wrangle all of the escaped horses before they got too far to wreak havoc around the castle. At least Morgan helped her to gather all of them, but not before looking amused and laughing at her efforts to chase after the horses. The scolding she received from Nedley after, was not a thing she ever wanted to repeat again. 

She winces at the memory. “Anyway, I better go, I shouldn’t keep the commander waiting,” She says, holding her helmet at her side. She slaps him on the shoulder as she walks past him, “Lonnie, thank you by the way.” She smiles, continuing on her way. 

Lonnie grunts, holding his sore shoulder. “Yeah, you’re welcome.”

* * *

Making her way around the castle, she greeted everyone she came across as she passed the long hallways that lead to the west wing. 

Walking up the winding staircase that led to the Paladin Knight-Commanders Office is a really long walk and would have left her out of breath if she wasn’t used to it by now. She stops in front of the wooden door at the end of the hallway, and knocks, placing her arms at her side while she waits for a response.

“Enter!” A gruff voice commands from behind the door. She turns the handle and pushes the door, creaking as it opens. She walks in, closing the door behind her and she leans her spear by the wall near the door. 

She is greeted by the familiar wide space of the office, bookshelves on the sides, paintings of former commanders decorate the walls on either side. The royal blue banners that have the knights coat of arms, hang at the far end of the wall behind the commander’s desk. 

She spots the commander sitting by his desk, checking over the weekly reports. She stands to attention, placing her right fist to the left of her chest. “Paladin Knight-Commander Nedley.” 

Nedley looks up from one of the papers, nodding in acknowledgment. “Nicole,” He gestures to the wooden chair in front of him. “Take a seat.” 

Nicole walks toward the chair, careful not to trip over the blue rug directing to the desk, and sits down posture stiff. “You wanted to see me, Sir.” She asks calmly, but the way her fingers clench around her helmet betray the nervousness she tried to hide.

“At ease Nicole, you’re not in trouble.” Nedley reassures, placing the papers down at the side of the table with the rest of the pile. 

Nicole sighs in relief, posture relaxing. “Oh, okay. Did you need something, sir?”

He scrunched his face a bit before answering, “Something like that,” He clasps his hands on the desk and leans forward. “You remember Purgatory right?”

Nicole’s eyebrows furrowed at the name. “Vaguely. Some of my memories from there are still a bit blurry. Why? What about it?” 

Nedley paused his expression grim. “Well, Chrissy sent me a letter a few days ago. She told me about a fog that suddenly showed up in the forest near the village. Monsters are supposedly hiding within it because people who went there at night go missing and is seen the next day, either mutilated beyond recognition or dismembered and scattered throughout the forest.” He informs, jaw clenching in worry for the safety of his daughter and the people in the village.

Nicole’s eyes widen in shock and horror at the news. “What? Did she say how long this has been happening?” 

“She said it’s been happening for about a week now. Because of this merchants and traders are too afraid to even travel to the village and its really affecting some of the shops that need the materials that they have to offer,” He frowns, before continuing, “Some of the villagers had even sent out requests to guilds to deal with the problem there, but judging by how that problem is still there a week later, you can guess what happened to those who took it. The council decided to help after the guard captain there sent a formal letter asking for assistance.”

Nicole nods her head slowly, letting everything sink in for a while. “Okay, but why are you telling me this?” 

Nedley’s breathes in deeply. “I want you to go to Purgatory, see the situation, and give a report on it.”

She raised her brows in surprise. “You can’t be serious?” She chuckles slightly, but immediately dies out when she sees the stern expression on the commander’s face. Nicole clears her throat and asks, “Okay, so, who else am I going with?”

Nedley hesitates, before stating the words carefully, “That’s the thing, you’ll be going there alone. The council agreed to send only one person to find out more about these unknown creatures. Sending a group could be dangerous, since we don’t know what we’re dealing with here, and due to the nature of it being an unusual case, an Order Knight is not required for this task.”

Nicole looks at Nedley in disbelief. “So, I’m going to be sent there to my possible death then?” 

Nedley’s eyes cast downwards, before shaking his head. “I don’t like the odds too, Nicole. But I wouldn’t entrust this on you if I didn’t believe that you could do this. I know that this is direr than what you’re usually assigned to handle, and I understand If you don’t want to take this.”

Nicole frowns, as she contemplates the task given to her, unsure if she should take it or not. The reports stated that no one was left alive after encountering whatever lied in the forest and by taking it could possibly be a death wish, but if she doesn’t take this and someone else did, they could also possibly die in her stead. 

All in all, whichever outcome is not good, but if she can help deal with this thing without risking the life of another, then she might as well take it. 

She clenches her jaw and says with determination, “I’ll do it.”

Nedley blinks. “Are you sure about this?”

She nods. “When do I leave?”

“Tomorrow, you’ll be leaving at noon, a carriage will be waiting for you at the castle gates to escort you to Purgatory, so get there before then. It takes about three days to get to Purgatory, and I can’t guarantee that it’ll be a smooth journey. Prepare for tomorrow, and pack all that you need, who knows how long you’ll stay there.”

“Is that all, sir?”

Nedley nods. “Yes, you’re dismissed.” 

Nicole nods as she stands, giving a salute before collecting her spear and leaving to resume her duty and prepare for the journey ahead.

* * *

_The sight of burning houses, fire, and smoke surrounded her field of vision. The smell of smoke, ash, and burning flesh assaulted her nose. The intensity of the heat felt like she herself was on fire as she hid behind a turned over wooden cart horrified at the state that her village was left in. Her body shaking in fear as she tried to not look at the burnt corpse beside her._

 _Tears fell down her face as she prays that the people in the black cloaks that she saw earlier had already left. She wanted to look, but she fears that they might see her and kill her the same way that they did to the people in her village._

 _Only when she hears a rough voice commanding that they leave does she find the courage to peak out over the cart. In the distance, they all looked like the epitome of walking shadows due to the black cloaks that they wore among themselves._

 _She thinks that this might be her chance of running away while their back is turned, but before she could, one of them stops and turns to her direction. She freezes on the spot because although their face is hidden under the hood, she can feel their eyes staring at her. Even from a distance, she can tell the sinister grin that formed on their face._

~*~

Nicole’s eyes shot open; she bolts up from her bed, eyes frantically scanning the room for any traces of the nightmare that she saw. The glowing embers were replaced by the moonlight cast from the windows. The smell of ash and smoke was replaced by the floral and woodsy scent of the knight’s quarters. She looks at the two beds beside hers and is relieved to see her fellow knights asleep on their own beds, snoring loudly. 

She lets out a staggering breath, cradling her head on her hands. She leans back on the bed frame, taking deep breaths as she tries to calm her rapidly beating heart.

It’s the same nightmare again, plaguing her with the same helpless feeling she gets every time she sees it. She hated how much this dream haunted her, it’s either a memory or a really fucked up way of her mind trying to wake her. 

Maybe, it is another memory? It was too vivid, to be just a dream. Her dreams are one way of her remembering the memories she lost after the incident on one of her earlier journeys as Nedley’s squire, where she was kidnapped by a crazed alchemist and used as a test subject for his experimental potions. 

Thankfully, Nedley saved her before any further damage could be done to her but her memories paid the price. She recalled how scared he was for her, and how guilty he felt after for taking too long to find her. She doesn’t blame Nedley for the incident as she reassures him over and over again but it does frustrate her that her memories only come to her in fragments, even after all these years. 

Nicole leans back on the bed frame, she turns to stare at the window and contemplates on leaving the room and taking a walk around the castle to clear her head but judging by how dark it is, she has more than a few hours left before the sun rises, and before she leaves for Purgatory later. 

She lays back down on her bed and closes her eyes, trying to concentrate on falling asleep. When that doesn’t work, she focuses her thoughts on the task given to her. 

“Purgatory… why would these creatures appear now?” She wonders, turning to her side to face the wall. “It’s been years since I’ve returned there… I wonder how it is now?” Closing her eyes, she tries to remember some of the memories she collected about Purgatory through the years.

Flashes of wooden carts being pulled by horses, old wooden houses, an old well near the outskirts of the village, people she can’t recall going about their daily lives…

Sleep was starting to close in on her, when a shock of memory appears. Suddenly, she was in a grassy field surrounded by daffodils. The sound of laughter echoes her surroundings, a little girl in a flowy white dress runs ahead and turns towards her. Warm sunlight shining down on her, giving her an almost angelic glow. She couldn’t distinguish her face, but she can tell the smile that was plastered on it.

 _“Come on, Nic!”_ The sweet voice calls out. _“You better hurry before I leave you behind!”_

The girl giggles as her voice echoes in her mind. She tries to reach out to the girl but she turns and runs ahead of the grassy field surrounding them. It was strange, this was the first time she recalls this, and yet a warm feeling cascades from her body at the memory. 

Why did this only appear now? Perhaps she knew this girl before in Purgatory?

She can’t help but wonder how she is now? Is she still staying in the village? Will she even recognize her when she arrives at the village later on?

A heavy sense of nostalgia plagues her mind. She wishes that this won’t be the last time she sees this girl, and for the first time in a long time, she slept peacefully.

* * *

She wakes up in the early morning and prepares all that she needs for her journey. She prepares a small chest containing her clothes. A leather knapsack containing a small notebook for her to take notes of her findings, a bottle of ink, a feather, some healing potions, salves, antidotes, ether and some food the cooks gave her. 

She decided to forgo her heavy silver armor and opted to wear her light armor, consisting of mostly leather with steel padding on the shoulders and chest, black leather gloves that reached her forearms with steel embedded on the knuckles and black leather boots that are almost to her knees. 

She straps her scabbard containing a steel longsword with holy runes engraved at the center by her waist, then she slides a dagger in the sheath by her thigh. It can’t hurt to bring more than one weapon to this task. 

She ties her hair in a braid before checking herself in the mirror. Happy with the way she looks, her brown eyes steel with determination as she goes to carry her belongings and makes her way to the castle gate.

* * *

As she approaches the castle gate, she spots Nedley waiting for her by the carriage. “Morning, Commander!” She greets, moving towards the carriage. “Morning Jacob!” She greets the middle-aged coachman who’s sitting at the front of the carriage, his eyes wrinkle as he smiles, tipping his hat to her in greeting. 

Nedley nods his head in acknowledgment. “Morning, you’re not wearing your regular armor?”

“Nope,” She responds, grunting as she places the chest at the back of the carriage along with her spear, strapping it securely in place. “Wouldn’t want to burden the horses with more weight by carrying that bulky thing around.” 

Nedley gives a slight smile in understanding. “Nicole, you know you’re free to stay in your old room in Purgatory if you want.”

Nicole looks back at him questioningly. “Are you sure? I mean, I can just stay at the Inn. I wouldn’t want to intrude on Chrissy or anything.”

Nedley shook his head. “It’s fine. Knowing her, she’ll be happy to see you, and then she’ll probably scold you for not writing or even visiting after all these years,” He chuckles, “I can imagine a long letter that she’ll send, scolding me for not telling her that you’re back in Purgatory.”

Nicole smiles. She did remember Chrissy from the glimpses that she got when she saw the letters the commander’s daughter addressed to her. The memories of them playing, getting into trouble together, and Chrissy crying when Nicole had to leave to join Nedley to be a Paladin. 

Nicole’s eyes water slightly when she recalls Chrissy telling her to come back, for she didn’t want to lose her older sister. She blinks away the tears. “Well, judging by how she addressed me in the letters she sent you, I wouldn’t be surprised.” 

“Ready to go, Nicole?” Jacob asks.

She turns to respond, “Uh, just a second.” She turns back to Nedley, who gives her a smile before enveloping her in a hug. 

“Be careful, remember your training, and try to come back in one piece.” He says, patting her back softly before pulling away. 

“I can’t guarantee that, but I will try to be careful.” She teased at the commander who has become like a father to her. Despite the gruff attitude, she knows he truly cares for her.

Nedley laughs slightly before patting her on the shoulder. “Alright, go now. Write me a letter when you arrive there.”

“I will!” She says before hopping into the carriage, carrying her knapsack. She shuts the door and leans her head out the window. “See you soon, Commander!”

“Good luck, Nicole.” He says just as the carriage started to move. 

She looks back for a few seconds before she settles back in, leaning her head by the window.

* * *

Traveling to Purgatory was not an easy journey. 

It took a really long time to get there, due to it being really far from the Kingdom and having to travel to a lot of steep roads and places where bandits might attack unwary travelers, but thankfully there weren’t many problems encountered along the way, save for a wheel breaking on the trail and a few bandits who were stupid enough to try to steal from the carriage.

They stopped by every village they arrived at, to let the horses rest, and stay when it turned dark before they decided to leave. After the third day of traveling, they arrived at Redfield, a village near Purgatory by mid-afternoon. It was their last stop before they reached Purgatory, so while Jacob tended to the horses at the stables, Nicole went to the Alchemy Shop nearby and bought extra potions.

Nicole exited the shop, placing the potions she purchased in her knapsack. She stops walking to look at the sky, it was dusk by now and it’ll be night by the time they arrive at Purgatory. It was strange, but there was a feeling of dread settling in her gut, it’s like something’s telling her that if they don’t stay here tonight, they’ll regret everything later if they continue on. 

She clenches her jaw before she hastens her steps towards the Inn. She goes to the stables behind the Inn where she spots Jacob brushing down one of the horses. 

“Jacob!” 

Jacob turns to look at her and smiles. “Hey Nicole, got what you needed? We’ll be leaving as soon as I’m done brushing Onyx over here.” He gestures to the black horse, who neighs in response. 

Nicole shook her head, eyebrows knitted tightly. “Jacob, maybe we should stay here until morning. I really don’t think it’s a good idea that we leave here when it’s almost night.” She says, worry lacing her voice. 

Jacob stops brushing the horse and looks at her in confusion. “Why not? We’re almost there, it’ll only take a few hours.” 

She tugs her lips as she twists her hands together. “I don’t know why, but I just have a really bad feeling about going there tonight. Like dread or something.” 

Jacob quirks an eyebrow at her before he pats her shoulder. “Nicole, it’s fine. The reports say that these things only come out deep into the night. We’ll arrive at Purgatory before then. Look, I know this is your first mission alone and it's nerve-racking. Believe me, some knights had feelings similar to this before. They worried too much at the start, but in the end nothing bad happened and the mission was fine.” 

Nicole sighs in exasperation. “But Jacob, I swear this isn’t like those other times. Seriously, I feel like it's not going to end well. You have to believe me!” She urges, willing for the older man to listen.

Jacob shook his head in dismissal. “Nicole, we’re going to be fine. I tell you; we’re going to arrive there safe and unharmed, and once we do, you owe me a drink.” He declares, going back to brushing the horse’s body. 

Nicole throws her hands in frustration. She knows that no matter what she says, Jacob won’t listen to her. The older man can be stubborn about arriving at the destination on the day they’re set to arrive on. 

She frowns. She doesn’t want to dismiss the dread that she’s feeling about the situation, she’ll just have to keep a closer eye out to make sure they arrive there safely.

* * *

They left the village by dusk, and by the time they arrived at the forest trail leading up to Purgatory, it was night. 

Nicole couldn’t help but feel anxious as they grew nearer to the village. It’s the first time she’s dealing with a task on her own, usually there would be four of them to deal with the situation but then again this wouldn’t be the first time only one person was sent out to scout the problem, she just didn’t think she would be chosen for something like this. 

She worries about a lot of things that could go wrong with this mission but she’s more worried about Jacob, who’s just doing his job to get her to the village. She hopes that the dread that she felt earlier was just a false alarm and that they would arrive there unharmed. 

The scenery outside is eerily quiet, she does hear crickets and the occasional owl hooting but there weren’t any animals in sight. Even the moon gives off an eerie vibe, its light soft and giving only little to see. 

Nicole leans her head out the window, as she asks Jacob, “So how much farther is it now?” 

“Not too far Nicole but we’re almost there. It’s just further along this trail here.” 

Nicole says her thanks before sitting back down. She fidgets with her pendant, tracing the symbol of the sun inside the crescent moon over and over before the sound of birds cawing and flying away draws her attention immediately. 

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when she sees some animals scurrying away from the area. They seem to be in a hurry to get away from something. 

“That’s odd, what’s going on?” Just when she asked that a thick fog slowly began to cover the area. 

_‘This fog…’_ Her thought was cut short when the carriage stops, and she is jolted back from her seat. 

“This isn’t good.” She mutters, looking down at her pendant when a faint white light began to emanate from it. Remembering the details that Nedley gave earlier, she grabs her scabbard and ties it hurriedly around her waist. 

“Crap! What is this?! It’s not even that late!” She hisses; she was right that something felt off earlier but there was no turning back now. The situation needed to be handled immediately, no matter what it takes.

She grabs her knapsack as she opens the carriage door and gets out to check on Jacob. 

“Woah! Easy there!” Jacob cries out, trying to calm the agitated horses in front of him. “Easy boys! What’s gotten into you two?” 

“Is everything alright out here?” She asks, barely seeing anything if not for the oil lamps hanging at the edges of the carriage illuminating them. 

“Everything’s alright Nicole. They just need to calm down for a while then we’ll be on our way.”

Nicole shook her head before she speaks in a calm and serious way, “Jacob, listen to me. You need to get in the carriage right now and don’t come out until I tell you to.”

“It’s those things, isn’t it? But, why is it so early?” He says, his voice shaking a bit from fear. 

“I don’t know, but I have to do something. So please, Jacob, go!” 

Although he didn’t like this outcome of letting Nicole fight alone, he knew he would only be a burden to her when dealing with these sorts of things. He nods in understanding and heads toward the carriage. 

Nicole touches her pendant, the light from earlier intensifying as the seconds go by. She knew that it was only a matter of time before those things find them and she needed to prepare. 

She runs to the back of the carriage, grabbing her spear, then she rummages through her knapsack to grab a few vials of healing potions and ether. She pockets the rest and uncorks one vial of ether. She drinks the potion, a cool feeling seeped through her body and what felt like electricity ran through her veins when finished it, wiping her mouth after.

She throws her knapsack to the ground in a rush as she runs back to the front of the carriage. She digs her feet firmly on the ground, holding the spear in front of her. 

Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes. Chanting an incantation and concentrating all her energy on a protection spell.

Her body is starting to get warmer when a rush of energy floods through her. Her hands began to glow in soft white light as runes appear enveloping the frame of the spear. 

The horses grew more restless when the bushes began to rustle and shuffling can be heard around as if a strong wind was circling them. 

One stops and lets out a shriek before charging on ahead just as the spell was done. Nicole spins her spear and impales it on the ground. Fissures of light form on the ground, tracing into a circle around the area of the carriage before surging up to form a dome of light surrounding them. 

The creature slammed its body on the barrier preventing it from entering, it shrieks again before running away. 

Nicole breathes heavily from the excursion of using too much energy to cast the protection spell and could feel a headache starting to form. The barrier could only hold for a limited amount of time as it drains the caster’s energy the more it’s held up. She needed to deal with these things quickly before she becomes too weak to fend them off. 

Leaving her spear impaled on the ground, she unsheathes her longsword, the runes at the center glowing and readies herself. Waiting on the next move of whatever these monsters were. 

She drinks another vial of ether as she analyzes their situation. They were outnumbered, she could sense that there was more than one circling them, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Just as that thought grazed her mind, one of the creatures slams its body on the barrier but this time it didn’t run away. 

The creature snarls at her, hunched on its gangly limbs. Skin grey and showing signs of decay, glowing red eyes stare back at her, sharp teeth caked in flesh and blood as it moans then shrieks, leaving its space at a speed like flash. 

Nicole even from the minimal amount of time she saw the creature, identified it as a ghoul, but it was odd because only Necromancers are able to summon these hideous creatures. Why would a Necromancer cause trouble to this village in the first place?

Nevertheless, she’ll deal with the perpetrator later but right now, she needs to at least lessen the number of these ghouls. She tightens her grip on her sword and shakes her head, it was a risk and a stupid idea, but she readies herself as she steps out of the barrier. 

As soon as she did, a ghoul dashed towards her. She summons a shard of light from her hand and throws it at the ghoul. It shrieks as it hit its shoulder, searing the skin it hit before running again. 

Three more show up and were scuffling around. 

Nicole grits her teeth as she prepares for them to attack. “Bring it on, you bastards!” She yells, just as one of them rushes to her. It moves to strike at her side but she managed to dodge it. She slashes towards it but misses. 

Another one jumps on her back, biting at the area between her neck and shoulder. She cries out in pain as she hits it with the butt of her sword, hearing it land on the ground. She touches the wound, thankfully it’s not too deep but blood was still seeping from it. 

She has no time to use a healing potion when the other two rush towards her. She narrowly avoids one of them before she thrusts her sword on the other's abdomen, it shrieks in pain before it left to hide again. 

Beads of sweat form on her forehead as the headache from earlier grew more and more painful by the second as her body staggers forward. She looks back at the barrier and could see it flickering. With a trembling hand, she reached into her pocket and grasps another vial of ether but before she could open it, she is slammed hard against a tree, dropping the potion onto the ground. 

She grunts at the force as she tries to hold back the ghoul snapping its teeth in front of her, she grabs the dagger from the sheath by her thigh and stabs it at its chest. It staggers away from her, hiding once again.

She moves to stand, using her sword as her support to lean on. She closes a hand to her head as a sharp throb passed through her head, indicating the end of the spell. She gasps for breath and looks on in a panic as the barrier wears off. 

One of the ghouls jumps on the roof of the carriage and started slamming its fists on it. The horses are agitated and stomp around, causing the oil lamps hanging from the edges of the carriage to fall, and set it ablaze. The ghoul rushing away immediately when the fire started. 

Jacob gets out of the carriage in a rush and runs towards the horses trying to free them. 

Nicole tries to run towards the carriage but she freezes when the fire started growing rapidly. Her body trembles and her eyes shift at the growing flames as it spreads. It was like the world slowed down around her as the images of burning houses flash through her eyes and the echoes of people screaming, ring at her ears.

 _“Nicole!”_

“Nicole!”

She snaps out of her trance when she hears someone calling out to her. Seeing Jacob struggling to free the horses, she wills her body to move. She goes towards the reins and slashes at it. The horses immediately trotting away from the area. 

A ghoul attacks Nicole, pinning her on the ground, while another grabs Jacob. She looks on horrified as he is dragged off screaming. She’s struggling to hold off the ghoul, its strength overwhelming her, she grunts before summoning up a bit more of her energy to cast a shard of light and stabs it at the side of its head.

It lands on the ground, unmoving as she moves to run after the ghoul who took Jacob, but she is blocked by three more. “Godsdammit! Move!” She yells, slashes towards one of them but misses when they scatter. Her vision is starting to blur more, and her senses are dulled from fatigue as she didn’t expect one of them and it slashes her arm. She cries out in pain, dropping her sword as she clutches the wound. 

She's slammed to another tree; she grits her teeth at the pain as the ghoul in front of her shrieks. It moves to bite her but before it could, her pendant glows intensely, making it back off from her. 

Nicole sat by the tree, breathing heavily as the ghouls gathered around her ready to finish her off. She can’t move anymore; her body is too wracked with exhaustion from using too much energy. 

_‘I can’t believe it’ll end like this… I’m so sorry for failing you, Nedley…’_ She thought as she closes her eyes and braces herself for the ambush. They were getting ready to pounce but suddenly they stopped.

She opens her eyes, wondering what happened. She blinks slowly when the ghouls leave, sprinting off to somewhere. She waits for a moment, holding her breath in anticipation that they might return, a few seconds go by and they didn’t. 

Nicole let out a breath as she sat back on the tree. A ton of emotions hit her at once, from relief, anger, confusion, and guilt. She clenches her jaw, frustrated with herself for not being able to save Jacob from that ghoul. 

“I need to find him, then get to Purgatory while we still can.” She mutters to herself. She tries to stand but she can’t, her body feels heavy as if made from lead as it is too exhausted to move and her mind is feeling just as exhausted for casting too much magic. 

She fights to stay awake but it was immediately a losing battle. Black spots dance around her vision before she finally closes her eyes and lets the darkness close in on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so first chapter’s done! I hate, how I just got bombarded by a lot of other prompts, while I was still writing this.
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for reading and I will see you guys next time!


	2. A Finding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so sorry if this took longer to update. I attended a workshop for a while, and it kept me busy. I really wanted to write, but when I got home, I was too tired to even write anything. Then some life drama happened along the way that delayed this even further. So, again, sorry and thank you for being patient with this.
> 
> Honestly, I had a hard time with this chapter. I wasn’t satisfied with some parts of it. So, I’ll probably come back and edit this again at some point in the future. 
> 
> And I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who read, kudos, and commented on the last chapter. I really appreciate it.

The glass, shatters on impact, scattering pieces of dried roots all over the wooden floor. 

“Seriously?” Waverly says before letting out a sigh of exasperation. “Great.” She scans the floor for a safe spot to step on as she carefully maneuvers herself over the shards of broken glass. This would’ve been a lot easier if she’d remember to wear her boots earlier before she came down here, but she was so focused on proceeding with her daily routine that the boots were the last thing on her mind.

On the last step, Waverly lets out the breath she’d been holding and smiles triumphantly at the fact that she managed to walk across safely and without a shard of glass embedded in her foot. She opens the door to the broom closet and takes the broom and dustpan out. 

She really should’ve been more aware of her surroundings, but she was so focused on writing down the materials she was lacking, that when she was putting the jar of Fire Seeds back on the shelf, she didn’t even notice the jar of dried Black root so close to the edge until her hand accidentally knocked it off. 

It wouldn’t be the first time she broke something in her workshop by accident, something that her older sister Wynonna liked to constantly poke fun at her about.

“Way to go Waverly, another one added to the list.” She mutters sarcastically to herself as she proceeds to sweep at the remains of the jar and root scattered on the floor.

Ever since she took over the Alchemy Shop that her Uncle Curtis set up at the Earp Homestead, waking up at the crack of dawn has always been a daily routine for her. Whether it was to look through her inventory and gather the materials needed or to synthesize whatever it is she’s lacking at the shop.

Alchemy isn’t an easy job. It takes dedication and perseverance to master the craft, which is something that her uncle told her when she asked him to teach her. She failed numerous times when she first started, but through the years she gradually got better. 

Even though her uncle died 3 years ago, she made sure to remember all that he taught her and to ensure that she gets better as the years go by. She still had a long way to go, but her Uncle Curtis would’ve been proud of the progress she’s made through the years.

_‘But me constantly breaking things in the workshop is something that still hasn’t changed.’_ In her defense, she’s working on it.

Throwing away the last of the glass shards and roots in the wastebasket near her workstation, Waverly goes back to the shelf to check again on what she may need to gather for later. She writes down the last of the materials, running through it again to make sure nothing was missing. Happy with the list, she folds it after and tucks it in one of the leather pouches attached to the belt of her skirt.

She blows out the candles of the lanterns hanging from the wooden beams on each side of the room. Taking the lantern placed on her workstation, Waverly leaves the room, humming a tune along the way as she closes the door to her workshop. 

She walks up the stairs leading to the floor of the shop. Her eyes adjusted to the soft blue light bathing the room through the windows, illuminating enough for her not to stumble her way through. 

She enters the door connecting the shop to the dining room, where the sweet smell of the rice porridge bubbling away at the fireplace filtered through the room. 

She grabs a wooden spoon, stirring the porridge slightly then brings the spoon towards her mouth to taste. 

“Okay, it’s done!” She beams, nodding in approval as she grabs a rag from the counter nearby and places it in the middle of the table. She takes the long pole with a hook at the end, from where it was leaning beside the fireplace, and removes the small cauldron that hung over the fire. 

She carefully carries the cauldron to the table, keeping it a few inches away so it doesn’t splash on her. After settling the cauldron on the rag, she sets the tableware along with a loaf of bread and a small pot of cherry jam before she marches her way up the stairs to wake her older sister.

* * *

“Wynonna!” Waverly calls out, footsteps thud heavily on her way up the wooden stairs. She stops at the end of the hallway, in front of the door of her older sister’s room. “Wynonna, breakfast is ready!” She says, knocking firmly on the wooden door. 

Leaning her ear towards the door, Waverly doesn’t hear anything on the other side, not even a rustle of the sheets or even a string of words cursing her name in annoyance. It doesn’t really surprise her. Wynonna’s always been a heavy sleeper, especially in the morning after she’d been drinking the day before _(Which is almost every day)_. She would’ve bought one of those loud ringing things again from the last merchant. That is if Wynonna wouldn’t constantly try to break them every time. 

Waverly knocks, calling out Wynonna’s name again before she opens the door. “Wynonna, come on, wake up!” She says loudly, walking towards her sister.

A dark head of hair peeks out from under the covers, blue eyes squinting at the blurry image of her younger sister. “Gods Waverly, you’ll wake up the dead with all that yelling…” Wynonna groans, covering her face with a pillow. 

“Sorry Nonna, but breakfast isn’t going to wait for no one,” Waverly says softly. She leans next to Wynonna, nudging her arm repeatedly in the hope that she would move, but to no avail. “Seriously Wynonna, get up! You promised that you would come to the forest with me today. We’re really low on the materials that I need for some of the potions.” 

Wynonna just grunts then tugs on the blanket to cover her entirely. Waverly frowns and crosses her arms. “Don’t forget, you took that job from the notice board and it's due today.”

“So?” Wynonna replies, muffling through the pillow covering her face.

“So, you’re not going to get paid, if you don’t give Old Rocky the squirrels and wild boar that he asked for.”

A few seconds go by before Wynonna begrudgingly removes the pillow from her face, letting it drop on the floor as she sits up. “Remind me again, why did I take that job in the first place?” She grumbles, ruffling her already messy hair. 

“You spent all your money buying that horse and cart out from Redfield a few days ago.”

“Good thing too. We’ll be needing it when we have to gather all of this crap around.” Wynonna mutters, groaning as she rolls her fingers at her temples to try to ease the headache that’s beating on her like a war drum. 

Waverly shakes her head in mild amusement. She pulls out a vial filled with a burgundy-colored liquid from one of her pouches. “Here, this should help.” She says, placing it on Wynonna’s bedside table. “Now get dressed, I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Wynonna just grunts her thanks as Waverly leaves the room, closing the door behind her. 

Waverly crosses through the hallway and is about to take a step downstairs when she stops, forehead puckering in thought. _‘Am I forgetting something?’_ She bites the inside of her cheek as her foot taps repeatedly on the cold wooden floor. A chill ran up her body as she shivers from the cold. She looks down and slaps her forehead in realization. “Oh right, my boots!” 

She goes downstairs and spots the brown leather boots placed beside the bookshelf near the front counter. Her attempt to wear the boots while standing wasn’t really a good idea when she loses her balance and bumps her back hard on the shelf, it shakes, dropping some of the books onto the floor. 

“Oh, fudge nuggets!” Waverly exclaims. Pulling the boots over her feet, she scrambles to stand before kneeling to gather the fallen books. 

She arranges the books in a neat pile and places them back on the shelf. She looks back at the floor to see if there were anything else, she missed. Her head cocks slightly to the side when on the floor lay a small wooden box. 

“Where did- Oh yeah, I forgot about that!” 

Kneeling, she picks up the box and checks to see if there was any damage to it. “Everything seems fine.” She jiggles the lock and lets out a huff when it was still intact. The box had plagued her curiosity when she found it years ago, hidden in a hole behind the storage chest of her sister Willa’s bedroom. 

She tried to look for the key, but never found it. It just left her mind for a while after when she began to focus on her training as an alchemist. She didn’t know why but it was like it was calling out to her. She needed to know what was inside and why was it hidden in the first place? She racks her brain for an idea on how to get it open. Her face lights up when something came into mind. 

She pulls out a small jar filled with a yellow powder from one of her pouches and pours a small amount into the lock. Adding in a few drops of water, the lock began to smoke and quickly she places it back down the floor and hides at the side of the shelf, covering her ears.

A loud bang, echoed through the room as the lock burst, scattering pieces of it all over the room. Waverly walks to the box and is relieved that it didn’t completely blow, save for the cracked hole where the lock was. 

“I can’t believe that worked! Why didn’t I try that years ago?” She shook her head. No matter, it was unlocked now, and she can finally see what was inside the box. Jittery with anticipation, she opens the box and looks inside.

It baffled her as she looks through it. Each item she held in her hand made her pause as each one brought out a significant memory to her. From the small pearl earrings that mama bought for her when she was 2 years old to the old dried-up flower crown that Wynonna made for her. It was odd. Every item in the box belonged to her, but why were all of these tucked away in here? 

She shakes off the flood of emotions that were brought out by each memory and is about to close the box, but something on the bottom catches her eye. Pushing back some of the items, she reached towards it and couldn’t help the gasp that escapes her when she saw it.

It was a gold butterfly brooch; the wings were of a lace design with rubies and sapphires accenting the middle and end of each wing. It’s beautiful, but Waverly couldn’t help but wonder how they managed to get something like this? It looks too expensive for someone in her family to buy. 

As Waverly contemplates on why she would have this in the first place, a flash of memory hits her.

~*~

_She was sitting by the old oak tree, at a hill overlooking the village. Beside her was a girl, somewhat older than her, her face blurry and unrecognizable, but her vibrant red hair is the only thing that stood out from her indistinguishable features._

_“Here, I want you to keep this,” The girl said, placing the brooch in Waverly’s open hand and closing it. “It was my mother’s, so take really good care of it.” She tightened her grip on her hand slightly before removing her hand from hers._

_“But, why?” Asked her own voice, cracking a little from sadness. She could feel her body tremble, as tears gathered in her eyes._

_“In a way, it’s a reminder that wherever I may be, I’ll always be there with you.” The girl said, smiling sadly._

_Waverly grasped the brooch firmly in her hand. She couldn’t control her tears from falling as she flung herself into the girl’s arms, the force of which almost knocking them both to the grassy ground. “Please don’t go! I don’t want you to go!” She cried, body shaking as she hugged the girl tightly, the girl’s shirt wrinkling from the tight grip she has on it._

_It was hard enough that everyone left her. Mama, Daddy, Wynonna, and now her best friend… The person who’s been there for her ever since she arrived in Purgatory, who’s been there for her when her own family couldn’t, and the person who truly made her smile for the past six years._

_She knew that she shouldn’t be selfish and be the reason her best friend didn’t pursue what it is she wanted to do, but the fact that she’s leaving, and could possibly never return broke her heart. Waverly sobs heavily on the girl’s shoulder, leaving tear stains on her blouse._

_The girl just rubs her back gently, murmuring words to soothe her. “Don’t worry, Waves,” She said, her voice trembling as her own tears fell. “I’ll come back one day, and when I do, you’ll be the first person I’ll look for.”_

_Waverly sniffled. “Do you promise?” She murmured; voice muffled on the girl’s shoulder._

_The girl laid a gentle kiss on her temple. “I promise…” She answered, her soft voice echoing in her ears._

~*~

Waverly gasps at the vivid memory. Tears gathered in her eyes, the emotions from the memory still lingered in her mind as she attempted to wipe the tears away. It was that girl again… She looks down at the brooch in her hand. 

The girl with the red hair had been haunting her dreams for years. Dreams where they ran and played around in Purgatory. Where they talked about their hopes and what they imagined their futures would be like. And where the girl would comfort her and put an effort to make her smile again. 

She knew these weren’t just any old dreams but are memories due to the familiarity she felt after each one. Although, this is the first time she recalls this one; the brooch must’ve triggered something for it to surface. 

This brooch must’ve meant a lot to this girl, so Waverly couldn’t believe that she would have trusted her enough to hold on to it. It’s strange how holding the brooch makes her feel as if a piece of her has returned, but at the same time, it makes her feel like something is still missing…

Her thoughts were broken when she hears heavy footfalls coming down the stairs. She pockets the brooch and closes the box immediately, placing it at the bottom shelf. She stands on shaky legs as she tries to compose herself.

“Waverly, did you blow something up again? I heard a loud bang earlier. I told you that if you’re gonna do that, I want in on it.” Wynonna says. The metal on her belt clanging with each step. “By the way, have you seen Peacemaker? Could’ve sworn I left it in my room last night.” 

“You… dropped it behind the counter when you got home.” 

Wynonna directed her gaze to the longsword lying on the floor. “Huh, so that’s where that was.” She picks up the scabbard holding Peacemaker and straps it by her waist. “Come on let’s eat, I don’t want to hear you nagging me that I’m the reason breakfast got cold.” She says as she walks toward the kitchen. 

Waverly gives the box one last glance before she follows Wynonna.

* * *

“So, I was like, “Well excuse me grandpa, but you saw my horse running and you had to choose that time to cross the street?” Wynonna voices her annoyance as she recounts her experience in the village of Redfield. 

Waverly nods despondently, stirring and occasionally scooping some porridge into her mouth.

Wynonna snickers. “He got so pissed when I called him that. Kept telling me how he was still in his thirties, yadda, yadda. Anyway-“ She pauses, then frowns. Something’s wrong. Waverly is usually annoyingly cheery in the morning and she’s not even commenting on how irresponsible she is about almost running over someone. “Baby girl, what’s wrong?” 

“Huh?” Waverly looks at her sister, surprised. “Oh, it’s nothing really. Just thinking about all of the things I need to gather later.” She says quickly, trying to act casual. 

It was obvious from the pointed look that Wynonna gives her that she didn’t believe her half-assed lie. “Really Waverly? I know when you’re lying, believe me, _you’re not very good at it,_ ” Wynonna says, whispering the last bit. “Besides, you have that head in the clouds look on your face. So, tell me, what’s on your mind?”

Waverly bites her lip in hesitation, before she speaks, “Well, it’s just… earlier when I was trying to put my boots on, I accidentally knocked some things off of the shelf-“ Wynonna opens her mouth to remark, but Waverly beat her to it, “And yes I tried to put them on while I was standing, not the point right now.” 

Wynonna closes her mouth and gestures for her to continue. 

“Okay, so, one of the things that fell was this locked box that I found years ago. I wanted to know what was inside and since I couldn’t find the key, I… sort of blew up the lock.”

“So, that’s what I heard earlier!” 

“Yeah, it was,” Waverly breathes in. “Anyway, so the lock broke and I looked inside. I saw a lot of things, Wynonna, and it all belonged to me. Like my favorite blanket when I was a kid, and that straw doll that you made me, and uh, well…” 

She pauses for a moment before she reaches into her pocket pulling out the butterfly brooch. “Well, I saw this brooch, and a memory appeared to me. It was about my childhood friend…” Waverly says a small smile crept to her face as she runs her thumb on the brooch.

“Who? Pikachu?”

Waverly furrowed her eyebrows at the name of her old pet rabbit, before shaking her head. “No, my other childhood friend. She was this girl, a bit older than me, she had red hair.” She informs, gesturing to her hair.

“Huh,” Wynonna says, before taking a bite of bread. “Well, the only redhead that I recall you hanged out with, was Red.” 

“Red? Do you remember her name?” Waverly asks, her face lighting up with a hopeful tone in her voice.

Wynonna shakes her head. “Nope, not really. I just called her Red. I couldn’t really be bothered to use her real name at the time.”

“Oh…” Waverly utters, dismayed

“Did she give that to you?” Wynonna asks, pointing to the brooch.

“Yeah, she was leaving. I don’t remember where she was going to, but she gave me this and told me to keep it safe.” Waverly looks back down on the brooch and smiles as a look of fondness crossed in her eyes. “And that when she returns, I’ll be the first person that she’ll look for.”

Wynonna snorts in amusement. “Wow, you started young with the dramatics.” She teases. 

“Shut up,” Waverly says good-naturedly, smiling slightly.

Wynonna chuckles in amusement. “I do remember that you two were really close. Wherever she would go, you would follow. Willa used to call you her little shadow.” 

Waverly flinched at the mention of their older sister’s name as her spoon clatters back in her bowl. She winces in pain as a sharp pang throbbed in her head. 

Wynonna's eyes widen and her lips thin apologetically. “Shit, sorry baby girl. I forgot Willa still triggers bad memories for you.”

“I-It’s fine Wynonna, this just happens because I really don’t remember much about her,” Waverly says reassuringly as she smiles through the momentary pain. “I’m fine now.” 

Wynonna frowns. “I should never have left you alone with her.”

“Wynonna, really, it’s fine. It was years ago. You can’t keep blaming yourself for what she did to me.”

“I know, but still, if I hadn’t left to go on a stupid self-journey. I would’ve been there to protect you and she wouldn’t have done that to you.”

The guilt she felt for leaving Waverly alone with Willa had been tremendous, especially when she later found out that Willa hadn’t been treating Waverly right. When she received a letter from Gus, saying that Willa poisoned Waverly with Devil’s Toadstool and how she was on the verge of dying almost had her breakdown in the middle of the street. 

As much as she wanted to go home at that time, she couldn’t. She was is another continent and with the little amount of coin she had, no boat would take her. So, she waited for the letters, anxious about the news of Waverly’s condition. That was the most terrified Wynonna felt in her life. 

“It’s a good thing Gus and Curtis came to visit at that time if they hadn’t…” Wynonna couldn’t hide the pain in her eyes at the thought of losing Waverly. 

Waverly looks at Wynonna in concern. “Wynonna,” She starts, placing her hand on her sister’s. “it’s okay, really. You came back. To me, that’s all that matters right now.” She lets go of Wynonna’s hand. “Now can we please talk about something else. I don’t want to start the day this heavy. So, tell me again what happened at Redfield?” 

Wynonna hesitates at first but decided to oblige to her sister’s request. The conversation flowed uneasily at first, but slowly the heavy atmosphere lifted.

* * *

After breakfast, Wynonna set out to get the cart ready, while Waverly grabbed their bags and weapons.

“So, what do you need to look for this time?” Wynonna asks while strapping the reins on her horse which she named ‘Midnight’.

Waverly drops the small leather rope bag containing some food into the cart. “Well, I need some Bindweed for the paralyzers, Blackroot and Elder tree Sap for the Sleeping Tonics, and a… what else?” She drags on as she pulls the list out of her pouch. “Ah! And a couple of spores from the Spotted Fungus, for the Anti-Venoms.” 

“Don’t you have some of those plants in your garden?” Wynonna asks pointing to the garden behind the house. 

“Nope, these things can only be found in the forest, Wynonna.” Waverly states as she puts the list back in her pouch and sheathes her two short swords in the scabbards strapped to her back. 

“Good thing too. Those fungi smell like the rear end of a horse.” Wynonna remarks, patting her horses’ side. 

Midnight huffs and stomps her right front leg in the offense.

“Oh, you know what I mean girl,” Wynonna says, patting her again before edging away. The last thing she wants is to offend her feisty horse and get kicked on the gut. Again.

Waverly leans on the cart. Nervously, twisting the ring on her finger. “Hey ‘Nonna, do you think Red will ever come back? I mean, what if something happened to her? it’s been years and she hasn’t returned.” She runs her fingers through her hair and pushes off the cart. “I mean, what if someday she does return. I don’t know what to say! I can’t just be like, “Hey… I’m sorry but I don’t remember much of who you are.” The last thing she wants is to hurt Red’s feelings and she could almost picture the look of disappointment the girl would give her if she said that. 

“Hey, don’t be a downer right now. I know breakfast was heavy in the topic department earlier, but maybe someday she will come back and it’ll be just like she never left then you can hug it out and do what it is you kids do.” 

“I don’t think it’s that simple, Wynonna.” 

“Maybe not, but until then you’ve got plenty of time to plan out how you’re going to talk to Red. Just panic when she’s actually here.” Wynonna tightens the Midnight’s reins on the cart. She pulls the black vest she’s wearing closer as she holds onto the horse’s reins. “Anyway, let’s go, the sooner we finish this, the sooner I can get a drink at Shorty’s.”

“It’s too early, Wynonna.”

“Pfft, Baby girl, It’s never too early for me.”

* * *

Purgatory in the morning is quiet. Not many people were milling about except for the farmers and shopkeepers preparing for the day. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the village gates, where they encounter two of the armed guards already stationed there. The older female guard stands in attention, while the young male guard yawns as he leans lazily on the wooden gate. 

“Good Morning, Susan!” Waverly greets with a smile to the older woman.

“Morning girls!” She greets back, smiling at the sisters. 

The young male guard perks up at the sound of the younger Earp’s voice as he straightens his posture and runs a hand through his hair. He clears his throat as tries to put on a charming smile. “Morning Waverly!”

Waverly turns her attention to him and smiles politely. “Morning, Landon.”

“You girls out to gather again?” Susan asks, gesturing to the cart. 

“Yup, the shops low on some potions, so I need to make more.” 

“Ah, well you have been working really hard lately, Waverly. Just make sure to take care of yourself, while you’re at it. Hold on, while we open the gate for you.” Susan turns toward the gate and starts to pull off the heavy wooden beam. 

Landon smirks, eyeing Waverly from top to bottom. “Hey, hungry eyes. Cut it out!” His eyes dart to Wynonna who’s glaring at him. 

“Earp.” He says in a clipped tone, glaring back at her.

“Langley,” Wynonna says in the same tone. “Keep your eyes to yourself if you know what’s good for you.” She made a show of gripping Peacemaker and unsheathing it slightly, the metal glinting where the sun hit. She smirks, satisfied when he looks away in fear. 

“Boy! Help me get this off!” Landon quickly goes to help Susan as they pull the beam off. They move the beam to the side and push the gates open. “There you go girls, safe travels!”

“We will, thank you!” Waverly says, waving goodbye as Wynonna moves the cart forward.

* * *

They talk about a lot of things along the way to the forest, topics ranging from the potion recipes Waverly bought from the last merchant that visited Purgatory, to the amount of alcohol that Wynonna brags she can drink before she passes out, to which the youngest Earp rolled her eyes at.

“Wynonna, I already know about that. Need I remind you of the number of times I had to watch over you, just to make sure you don’t pass out or even start a fight at the tavern.”

“Good thing you did though. I’m sure there were a lot of times, Shorty was tempted to kick me out just because I caused a ruckus for punching another perverted asshole’s face.”

They continue to banter back and forth with each other until they arrived at the entrance of the forest. The sign of warning issued by the Guard Captain a clear indication of the danger that lies ahead.

“Well, we’re here. Fog’s gone though, so we’ve got nothing to worry about.” 

They were about to enter the forest when the sound of neighing stops Wynonna in her tracks. She turns to the location of the sound and holds a hand up to a stop, which hit Waverly firmly on the chest. 

“Ow! Wynonna, What the he-“ 

“Shhh, Waverly, do you see that?” Wynonna whispers as if to not startle what it is, she’s looking at. 

Waverly frowns as she rubs her chest, she looks at the direction her sister is looking at and sees a brown horse eating grass just at the far end near the entrance. “You mean the horse over there? Yeah.” She tilts her head in question. "Why is it here in the first place?”

“Irresponsible owner, maybe.” Wynonna holds out a hand to Waverly. “Waves, give me an apple.”

“Why?”

“Just do it!” After Waverly gave her the apple. Wynonna moves towards the horse and carefully approaches it. “Easy there, bud. I’m not going to hurt you.” She offers the apple as it trots warily over to her. When it was near, she grabs the reins, the horse stands in agitation but calms down when she offers the apple. She strokes its neck reassuringly. “There we go, that wasn’t so bad.” 

Wynonna walks back to the cart pulling the horse with her.

“Wow, I was getting worried about you over there. I didn’t think you could actually pull it off.” 

“Call me a horse whisperer or whatever.” 

“Do you think someone lost a horse in Purgatory?”

Wynonna shrugs. “I don’t think anyone in Purgatory owns horse gear this high quality.”

“Should we go back to find the owner then?”

“No way, we’re already here, let’s just bring it with us until then.” Wynonna frowns then looks below the horse. “Well, him, I guess.”

They make their way into the forest, not going too far near the entrance.

“You’ll be fine on your own right?” Wynonna asks, adjusting the strap of the quiver on her back.

Waverly nods. “I’ll be fine, wouldn’t be the first time I went here.”

“Okay, let’s meet back here after. Right, gotta go find a boar and some squirrels.” Wynonna says, bringing the cart and horses with her.

Waverly wanders around trying to find the ingredients she needs. You would think by the number of times she went here that she would have memorized where the materials are located, but the forest is too distracting. The way the sunlight streams through the tree leaves, giving little rays of light over the area. The view of the plants and trees and the animals roaming around just puts a smile on her face and the crisp air is very relaxing to take in. 

She’s always loved going to the forest, this was where she wandered off to when she just wanted to walk around and relax when there was a lot on her mind. It brought her a sense of peace, but due to the monsters that are said to be here, she can’t stay for too long for fear that they would start to roam during the daytime too.

As time passes, she managed to gather a bundle of Bindweed, extract a bottle full of Elder tree Sap and collect bunches of Blackroot. “Alright, only the spores left.” She says, placing the roots in her satchel. “Now I know those fungi were around here somewhere.” 

She proceeds to the deeper part of the forest and stops at the sight of a black horse in similar gear as the one, they found at the entrance.

“Another one, that’s strange…” She approaches carefully. “Hey there, big guy.” 

The horse looks at her before stepping away a few inches from her. 

“No, no. It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” Waverly reassures, holding out her hand to gently touch its snout. The horse lets out a huff before leaning forward. “There you go.” Waverly smiles as she takes an apple from her satchel and offers it to the horse. 

It was odd, two horses with similar gear are lost in the forest. It’s either they ran away from someone in Purgatory or a traveler lost them on their way here. 

A pungent scent emanated in the area, Waverly’s face scrunched at the smell and she covers her nose. 

“Gods, what is that smell?” She knew that although the Fungus smelled bad, it couldn’t compare to the scent that she’s smelling right now.

She looks around trying to find the source of the foul smell. It must be near as the scent was growing stronger the closer, she is to it. She stops in front of a large tree that seems to be trailing sap down the bark. It was sticky when she touched it and it came off as a dark russet color. 

Her eyes widen in realization, it wasn’t sap. She’d seen her fair share of blood from helping Gus heal some wounded people before and if there was blood here… 

Slowly, she looks up to follow the trail of blood and gasps at what she sees. She couldn’t help but let out a loud scream.

* * *

Wynonna spots a squirrel high atop a tree. “Alright, last one…” She readies her bow and arrow and lines up her shot. “Come to momma…” She whispers, closing an eye and preparing to shoot. 

A loud scream pierces through the area, making her let go of the arrow in surprise. It zooms past the tree, missing the squirrel as it scurries away in fear. 

She turns around, her eyes wide in a panic at the familiar voice. “Waverly…” Immediately, she runs to find her sister, calling out her name in worry. Wynonna tried to pinpoint at exactly which direction she heard the scream, but the damn forest was too vast, Waverly could be anywhere around here. If something were to happen to her, not even the Goddess Lumina could save the asses of those who dared to harm her little sister. 

She kept calling out Waverly’s name until pulls to a stop when she could see the reddish-brown jacket that Waverly wore, distinguishable over the green of the forest. 

Wynonna runs towards Waverly. “Waves! Gods, baby girl, are you okay?” She checks Waverly’s body for any signs of an injury and sighs in relief when she seems to be unharmed. “Damn it, Waverly, don’t scare me like that!” She says in irritation, trying to mask the fear she felt earlier. 

Her eyebrows knit in confusion when Waverly doesn’t respond. “Waverly?” She asks. Waverly is turned away from her and has her hands covering her mouth. She could’ve sworn she heard her mutter something up the tree. 

Wynonna’s nose wrinkled and her mouth pinched when an awfully pungent smell attacked her nostrils. She pales. The scent is something she is eerily familiar with from her travels. She looks in front of her and follows the trail of blood leading upward. She gasps at the sight.

Hanging from a branch were the mauled remains of a man. His face scratched beyond recognition, jaw hanging loosely from the little amount of skin that is still connected to the cheeks, stomach torn as the guts were hanging and sprawled out, a left leg missing while the body is left bloody and riddled with gashes. 

Wynonna looks away in disgust and sympathy towards the man. “Shit, not another one…” 

Waverly swallows down the lump in her throat as she turns to look at her sister. “Who would do such a thing?” She croaks out. 

Wynonna lets out a sigh. “I don’t think it’s a question of who, Waverly,” She says, inching closer to the tree. Her lips form into a grim line as her fingers trace the long scratch marks on the bark. “It’s more of a what.” 

Waverly removes her hands from her mouth and asks, “The fog?”

“More of what lies within it,” Wynonna mutters quietly, but loud enough for Waverly to hear.

No one’s been able to identify what lurks within the fog. Everyone was too afraid to seek it out because those who tried never returned. The risk wasn’t worth it when there wasn’t even anyone alive after every attempt. But as Wynonna notices the trail of blood from the ground leading up to somewhere, she can’t help but hope that this might be the chance they have of finally getting a clue on what they’re dealing with and closer to getting rid of the stupid fog. 

“Baby girl stay close to me. I have a feeling we’re about to find something ugly.” They follow the blood leading them to the edge of the forest trail where they saw the remains of a burnt carriage in the middle of the trail. “Well looks like we found where the attack happened,” Wynonna states, walking closer to the carriage. She spots a leather knapsack lying on the ground and picks it up. Did it belong to that man?

Waverly walks toward the spear embedded on the ground. The glare of the sun reflects off the frame and shows what seems to be symbols. Her head tilts in confusion when she looks closely at the writing. Runes? Her knowledge of runes was a bit rusty; she’ll have to look up what these mean when they get back home. 

Her curiosity is peaked further when she looks down and notices singe marks. The marks seemed to come from the spear and is scattered throughout the ground. Hazel eyes brighten in intrigue, this is the first time she’s seen something like this, and it excited her to learn more about what happened here, even though it’s very inappropriate to get excited about learning something new in what seemed to be a murder scene. 

Moving on from the spear, she walks toward the carriage until the familiar scent of rotting flesh stops her in her tracks. She broke into a cold sweat as the image dead man from earlier flashed through her mind. 

_‘Gods, not another one, please.’_ Hesitantly, she follows the scent, covering her nose when it grows stronger the closer, she got to it. She gapes at the figure lying on the ground, its features indicate that its anything but human. 

“Wynonna!”

Wynonna, startled by her sister’s yell, drops the knapsack she’s holding. Hurriedly, she picks it up again and swings it over her shoulder. Running to where Waverly is, her eyes narrow at the thing lying on the ground. Its decayed skin sizzling and smoking from where the sunlight hit. 

“Holy shit… what’s this thing doing here?”

“You know what it is?”

“Yeah, a ghoul.” Wynonna advances toward the creature slowly. “I ran through some of these bastards a few years ago while I was traveling. Nasty fuckers to fight.” She carefully pokes at it with her sword, she recoils slightly before poking it again. “Seems this one is dead. It’s not an easy thing to kill though, I wonder what killed it?” She sniffs the air and gags, covering her nose. “Ugh, forgot they smell even worse when they’re really dead.” 

Waverly scrunches her face in disgust and turns away. Did they miss anything else? She searches the area, trying to see if there would be something that might catch her eye when she sees something glinting at the brush near a tree at the side of the trail. 

She approaches cautiously, clutching her short sword in a tight grip. She rounds the corner and is prepared to strike when she’s left surprised at seeing a woman unconscious and slumped against a tree. 

“Wynonna! There’s someone over here!”

Waverly could hear Wynonna approaching as she stops next to her. Her hand touching her shoulder. 

“Whoa, she looks like she had a rough night.” Wynonna remarks at the terrible state of the woman. 

Waverly kneels in front of her and checks on her pulse.

“How is she?”

“She’s alive, just unconscious for now.”

“What do we do?”

“Well, we can’t just leave her here. She’ll die if we don’t do something about her injuries.” 

“Can’t argue with you there. We’ll tell the guards what happened here when we get back to the village. Wait here Waves, I’ll get the cart.” Wynonna tells her, running off to where she left the cart and the horses. 

Waverly analyzes the condition of the woman. Her armor is scratched up and covered in a light smattering of dirt. The same could be said to her face and her red hair is unkempt and coming out of her braid. She must’ve tried to fend off her attacker, which is probably that ghoul from earlier. 

Her eyebrows pinch in concern over the sight of the dried blood smattered on her arm and the area near her neck. Her fingers trail lightly on the wounds, the skin swollen and purpling around them. Fearing that the wounds might become infected, Waverly quickly rummages through her satchel, taking out a clear, rectangular glass bottle labeled Purifier and a piece of cloth. She uncorks the bottle and pours the Purifier on the cloth and gently pats on the wounds. 

The woman groans in pain but doesn’t wake as Waverly continues to dab gently on the wounds. It pains her that she can’t do much more, but she’ll be sure to treat the woman more thoroughly once they get back home. 

Wynonna returns to the area a little winded, stopping the cart near the carriage. “Okay, I got the cart and the horses. Waves, help me carry her to the cart.” She says as walks beside the woman, placing her hands under her arms and heaves her up.

“Wynonna, be careful.” Waverly voices in concern as she gently lifts the woman’s legs.

Wynonna grunts. “Don’t worry, I got this.” 

The sisters worked their way to carry the woman to the cart, struggling, but they managed to place her gently on the cart. Both breathing heavily from the exertion. 

“Damn, she’s heavy.” Wynonna pants, leaning on the cart. “Come on, baby girl, let’s go.” She gestures with her head as she jumps out to hold onto the reins of the dark horse. 

After Waverly catches her breath, she goes to the other side grasping onto the reins of the brown horse as they go on their way to return to Purgatory.

* * *

_‘Strange…’_ Nicole thought, as she slowly began to wake from unconsciousness. The ground seems to be jolting a bit, and… is it moving? 

She hears voices coming from somewhere near her. Her eyes clench before opening slightly, she closes her eyes tightly when she is greeted by sunlight. Slowly, she opens them again, blinking rapidly as her vision adjusts. 

It was morning. It looks like she survived the night, which is a miracle, considering ghouls were known to be relentless when they find their prey… Where is she anyway? The sea of leaves from the trees were moving, but it wasn’t from the wind.

_‘What’s going on?’_

Nicole turns her head to the side only to see planks of wood, she moves her hand slightly, even with her gloves on she could feel the indents on the hardwood she is lying on. The sound of wheels turning and hooves gaiting on the ground is very distinguishable from where she was. 

_‘What…? How…?’_ She wonders, she tilts her head forward and could make out two figures walking on either side of the cart, their backs are turned so she couldn’t identify who they were.

“I really don’t think you should be snooping around her stuff.” Reprimands the voice on the left.

“Hey, you never know; I might find something here that can give us a clue on who she is.” Says the voice on the right, seeming to rummage through something.

The voice gasps. “Ooooh! Waves, she has Honey Cakes! Don’t mind if I do.”

“Nonna, you can’t just steal some of her food!” 

“Oh, come one, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I just take one.” The voice, “Nonna” muffles.

“You’re taking the whole bag of it.” The other, “Waves” says in a flat tone.

Nicole squints her eyes a little as she strains her sore body to lean forward to get a closer look at the two women.

“What this? A metal egg?” Wynonna asks, examining the heavy object she is holding. It’s the size of her hand and it’s smooth and shiny. She shakes it by her ear and hears liquid sloshing inside. After rotating it on all sides, she becomes frustrated when she couldn’t find an opening. “Must be one of those things that can’t be opened.” She shrugs and carelessly throws it over her shoulder, hitting Nicole square on her forehead. 

Nicole grunts in pain and falls back on the cart with a soft thud.

“Wynonna, don’t just throw her things around like that!”

“Oh, don’t fret about it, baby girl. I heard it land on the cart.” 

Nicole’s forehead throbs from where she was hit and could feel the slips of unconsciousness starting to close in on her again but before it could, one last thought grazed her mind. 

_‘Gods… What have I gotten myself into…?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, after 84 years… this chapter is done. Hopefully, it won’t actually take me that long to post chapter 3.


End file.
